Majority Democrats and the Obama administration say more time is needed to see if actions already taken to stimulate the economy bear fruit. Democrats and the White House are downplaying speculation about a possible second stimulus on top of the $787-billion measure approved in February, saying Americans should be confident that Congress and the administration are acting aggressively.
多数奥巴马政府官员和美国民主党人都表示，需要更多时间才能看得出已经采取的刺激经济措施是否能够带来成果。民主党人和白宫都低调处理是否会在2月批准的7870亿美元的救市措施之外追加第二次刺激计划的可能性。他们说，美国人应该相信，国会和行政当局正在积极行动。
After saying earlier in the week that the door remains open to a second stimulus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the focus for now must be on assessing the impact of the $787 billion measure Congress approved.
美国国会众议院议长佩洛西本星期早些时候说，采取第二个经济刺激计划的大门是敞开的。她现在表示，目前的焦点应该是评估国会上次批准的7870亿美元的救市措施的影响。
Pelosi says that stimulus has the right components in the form of steps to save and create jobs, stimulative tax cuts, and other provisions, to get the economy moving again.
佩洛西说，刺激措施的组成部分是适当的，其中包括保存和创造就业机会、刺激经济的减税，还有其他措施，目的是推动经济运转。
Asked about indications from some Democratic committee chairmen that planning is already underway for a second stimulus, Pelosi said the hope is that the initial measure and other items on the Democrat's agenda will be sufficient.
记者问道，民主党委员会主席表示，已经开始策划第二个刺激计划。佩洛西说，希望首批措施和民主党日程的其他项目足够扭转局面。
"That [original stimulus] combined with a highway bill, a water bill, an omnibus bill, the regular order of the appropriations process I think should be able to contain all of this, but you don't close the door to some other things, it's just not something that right now is in the cards," said Nancy Pelosi.
她说：“首批刺激措施包含建设公路的立法、水务立法、还有综合立法。我认为，拨款程序的常规顺序应该能够包含所有这些开支。但是，也不应该排除一些其他措施的可能性。不过，目前其他措施的时间还不成熟。”
At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs delivered the same message, saying the current stimulus is aimed at addressing the most urgent problems, and the President remains focused on ensuring that spending is carried out responsibly.
在白宫，发言人罗伯特.吉本斯发出同样的信息。他说，目前的刺激措施目的是处理最紧迫的问题，奥巴马总统在继续努力确保以负责任的方式使用这些开支。
"This administration is not focused on some hypothetical question of a second one but how best do we implement the current one that we have in order to get people back to work," said Robert Gibbs.
他说：“本届政府的注意力不在那些有关第二个刺激经济计划的假设性的问题上，而是在如何最好的落实现行计划上面，以便让人民重新工作起来。”
Minority Republicans kept up their criticisms of the president and Democrats on the stimulus and the 2010 budget now being hashed out by congressional committees.
国会少数党共和党继续批评总统和民主党的刺激经济计划，他们也批评国会有关委员会正在制定的2010年预算。
On opposite sides of the Capitol, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions and Republican Representative Paul Ryan assailed the president's spending outline.
共和党参议员塞申斯和共和党众议员瑞安都批评了总统的开支计划。
SESSIONS: "This budget at its base is more taxes, more spending and more debt."
塞申斯说：“这个预算的基础是增加税收、增加开支、增加债务。”
RYAN: "This budget is not a stimulus. This budget produces stagnation. This budget will make our economy worse off, it will actually hurt our chances [of] getting out of recession."
瑞安说：“这个预算不是刺激经济。它将导致经济停滞。它将使我们的经济变得更糟。它将破坏我们摆脱衰退的机会。”
President Obama does not face completely smooth sailing on the budget, with members of his own party voicing concerns about various aspects of the outline Congress received.
在预算问题上，奥巴马并不完全是一帆风顺。他自己的民主党议员也对提交给国会的预算计划的各个方面提出关切。
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said he's worried about the amount of debt the country is accumulating as Congress and the administration grapple with a situation inherited from the Bush administration.
参议院预算委员会主席康拉德说，他对美国积累的债务数额感到担忧。国会和行政当局忙于应付布什政府留下来的烂摊子。
"I want to make very clear that I believe build up of debt fundamentally threatens the economic security of this country," said Kent Conrad.
康拉德说：“我要明确表示，我认为，增加债务从根本上威胁我国的经济安全。”
House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson said members came away from a meeting with budget director Peter Orszag reassured about the president's priorities, but said lawmakers have the flexibility to make adjustments:
众议院民主党议员团主席拉尔森说，议员们同预算主管彼得.奥斯扎格开了会。这位主管再次说明了总统的优先次序。但是拉尔森说，议员们拥有作出调整的灵活性。
"Certainly always there is broad latitude within a budget to work those matters through," said John Larson.
他说：“当然，在一个预算之中总是有很大的空间来处理这些事情。”
Republicans say they will release in coming months what they call constructive alternatives to Obama administration budget proposals.
共和党人说，他们会在今后几个月公布他们所说的建设性替代方案，取代奥巴马政府的预算建议。
Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence says that in the event Democrats do move toward a second stimulus package, Republicans will insist on steps they insist will be more effective:
"A combination of fast-acting tax relief for working families and small business and we would also add, combined with fiscal restraint," said Mike Pence. "The spending binge that Congress has been on for the past several months is obviously not the cure for what ails this economy."
In a meeting with officials from U.S. states, President Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden reiterated their intention to ensure that government stimulus funds are spent wisely, saying instances of abuse if they are found would be deal with severely.
奥巴马在跟拜登副总统会见来自各州的官员们的时候重申，他们意图确保以明智的方式花费政府刺激经济的资金。他还表示，如果发现滥用资金的行为，将严厉惩处。 |